It has been said that democracy is always only one generation from extinction. In reality, however, the only barrier between freedom and despotism is the choice to keep the invaluable rights that have been given. Two novels, Little Brother by Corey Doctorow and 1984 by George Orwell, demonstrate what happens when democracy does become extinct, and how power is taken and maintained by the government. In Little Brother, a teenager named Marcus Yallow watches as his city is taken into captivity by the government for security measure after a terrorist attack. In 1984, Winston Smith, a lower official in a Communist Oligarchy, true to reform the government, but fails and is not only punished, but convinced that the current system is perfect. In these books, Doctorow and Orwell teach that today's society could easily become one of dystopian tyranny, because nobody is completely free of government control, and emotions can be easily manipulated for serve the system's purposes; therefore citizens must not give up their rights, because if they do, they may never be given back.
Government control of individuals creates the perfect breeding ground for absolute power. In 1984, Winston is under constant observation by cameras and microphones, not to mention other people. Orwell writes, “You had to live -- did live […] – in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” (Orwell, pg. 16) This quote shows how severe government control can get after a long time of being in power. Marcus in Little Brother is more proactive in resisting the system than Winston. Marcus had avoided nearly all control and observation by the government when he was confronted by two large men. Doctorow writes, “The two guys came into the restaurant […] ‘Sir,’ [one] said, ‘can you step over here with us?’ The other one flipped down a flap on the front of his wind breaker to reveal a SFPD insignia. The [first] one stepped right up close to me, his foot inside mine. […] It lets you feel if the other guy is […] getting ready to move. I wasn’t going to run, though. I knew I couldn’t outrun fate.” (Doctorow, pp. 102-103) Though Marcus had evaded control for the most part, his former captors knew this, and they decided to stop it before others could master his strategy. With the security implemented today, a government takeover could be easily accomplished. In Great Britain, the opportunity for tyranny is particularly strong. British law allows authorities to put citizens under house arrest without a legitimate charge if they are deemed a “risk to national security.” Britain Security Article With this law in place, the government could potentially hold captive anyone who opposes it, be it a terrorist or a peaceful protester. If such laws were to appear in other democracies, it could result in dictatorships and oligarchies ruling the world with an iron fist. Clearly the government’s controlling powers over individuals sets the stage for absolutism.
Emotions, like shame, anger, or fear, can temporarily override beliefs and normal thought, making them the perfect tool for a rising dictator. In These types of manipulation are not just theoretical; they are used on people every day.The media is a mass manipulator and spreader of propaganda. This video gives two modern examples of emotional manipulation.1984, all workers participate in the Two Minutes Hate, where their anger is directed towerds the enemies of the state. Orwell writes, "The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining it. Within thirty seconds, any pretense was always unnecessary." (Orwell, page 16) This quote shows how a mob mentality of anger sweeps up everyone in its path whether or not they agree with what they are doing. The government in Little Brother uses a different tactic to manipulate its victims.When Marcus is being questioned, his captors try to use his emotions to force him to answer their questions. Doctorow writes,"'You could have been on that bridge when it blew. Tour parents could have been. Your friends. Don't you want us to catch the people who attacked your home?'" (Doctorow, page 55) In this excerpt, the government is trying to use fear of another bombing and shame for not caring about his city to extract information from Marcus.
This patriotism, or in some cases nationalism, enslaves the patriot or nationalist to do the system's bidding for the sake of the state.Emotional manipulation is undoubtedly an invaluable tool to tyranny, and must not be exploited today if democracy is to remain strong.
If this world is to be kept free, citizens must value their rights enough to hold them in the midst of governments that are ready to read to greedily gobble them up. In 1984 Orwell describes how corrupt the government is and what happens to those who oppose it in his right-less society. Orwell writes, "In the vast majority of cases there was no trial, no report of the arrest. People simply disappeared [...] Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out [...]." (Orwell, page 22) This passage demonstrates the impossibility of regaining lost freedom from a dictatorial system. To get to this point, a government's citizens must give up their rights and give all power to the government. In Little Brother the DHS tries to cause this voluntary transfer by using deception. Doctorow writes, "'Lady,' I said,' you're talking about attacking my home, but as far as I can tell, you're the only one who has attacked me lately. I thought I lived in a country with a constitution. I thought I lived in a country where I had rights. You're talking about defending my freedom by tearing up the bill of rights.'" (Doctorow, page 55)This excerpt shows that sometimes a government will try to trick its citizens into giving it more power by claiming it will keep them safe. One such takeover has already been accomplished in modern day society. In 1967 Egypt's government declared that the country was in a state of emergency, which extended its police powers and other control. This has been the case for 44 years, the government constantly rationalizing its actions by claiming that organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood may come into power. By convincing its citizens that they were in danger the Egyptian government managed to create a modern day monarchy. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rules with emergency power Though resistance by the people caused eventually caused the dictator to step down, it is shocking to think that a democracy could be so easily transformed into a tyranny. In order to prevent this from happening again, citizens must keep the power of their government limited and retain rights for themselves.
In 1984 and Little Brother, the idea is stated that modern society could readily be changed to dystopian dictatorship because of government control over individuals and the use of emotions to enslave citizens; thus, the people must continue to value their freedoms or else they could be permanently abolished. Modern democracy is already showing signs of sickness: ridiculous amounts of security, emotional manipulation by governments, and complete dictatorial takeovers by elected leaders. It has been said that democracy is only one generation from extinction. Don't be the one who lets it go extinct!
Works Cited Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2008. Print. "Great Britain Overturns Unpopular Security Restrictions | Corpus Christi, TX | KRISTV.com." Corpus Christi, TX | KRISTV.com | HOME. 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://www.kristv.com/news/great-britain-overturns-unpopular-security-restrictions/>. "Hosni Mubarak." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosni_Mubarak>. Orwell, George. 1984. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. Print. YouTube - Emotional Manipulation - Our Abusive Relationship with Media & Govn't. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2i_UEeDXEA>.
Government control of individuals creates the perfect breeding ground for absolute power. In 1984, Winston is under constant observation by cameras and microphones, not to mention other people. Orwell writes, “You had to live -- did live […] – in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” (Orwell, pg. 16) This quote shows how severe government control can get after a long time of being in power. Marcus in Little Brother is more proactive in resisting the system than Winston. Marcus had avoided nearly all control and observation by the government when he was confronted by two large men. Doctorow writes, “The two guys came into the restaurant […] ‘Sir,’ [one] said, ‘can you step over here with us?’ The other one flipped down a flap on the front of his wind breaker to reveal a SFPD insignia. The [first] one stepped right up close to me, his foot inside mine. […] It lets you feel if the other guy is […] getting ready to move. I wasn’t going to run, though. I knew I couldn’t outrun fate.” (Doctorow, pp. 102-103) Though Marcus had evaded control for the most part, his former captors knew this, and they decided to stop it before others could master his strategy. With the security implemented today, a government takeover could be easily accomplished. In Great Britain, the opportunity for tyranny is particularly strong. British law allows authorities to put citizens under house arrest without a legitimate charge if they are deemed a “risk to national security.” Britain Security Article With this law in place, the government could potentially hold captive anyone who opposes it, be it a terrorist or a peaceful protester. If such laws were to appear in other democracies, it could result in dictatorships and oligarchies ruling the world with an iron fist. Clearly the government’s controlling powers over individuals sets the stage for absolutism.
Emotions, like shame, anger, or fear, can temporarily override beliefs and normal thought, making them the perfect tool for a rising dictator. In These types of manipulation are not just theoretical; they are used on people every day.The media is a mass manipulator and spreader of propaganda. This video gives two modern examples of emotional manipulation.1984, all workers participate in the Two Minutes Hate, where their anger is directed towerds the enemies of the state. Orwell writes, "The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining it. Within thirty seconds, any pretense was always unnecessary." (Orwell, page 16) This quote shows how a mob mentality of anger sweeps up everyone in its path whether or not they agree with what they are doing. The government in Little Brother uses a different tactic to manipulate its victims.When Marcus is being questioned, his captors try to use his emotions to force him to answer their questions. Doctorow writes,"'You could have been on that bridge when it blew. Tour parents could have been. Your friends. Don't you want us to catch the people who attacked your home?'" (Doctorow, page 55) In this excerpt, the government is trying to use fear of another bombing and shame for not caring about his city to extract information from Marcus.
This patriotism, or in some cases nationalism, enslaves the patriot or nationalist to do the system's bidding for the sake of the state.Emotional manipulation is undoubtedly an invaluable tool to tyranny, and must not be exploited today if democracy is to remain strong.
If this world is to be kept free, citizens must value their rights enough to hold them in the midst of governments that are ready to read to greedily gobble them up. In 1984 Orwell describes how corrupt the government is and what happens to those who oppose it in his right-less society. Orwell writes, "In the vast majority of cases there was no trial, no report of the arrest. People simply disappeared [...] Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out [...]." (Orwell, page 22) This passage demonstrates the impossibility of regaining lost freedom from a dictatorial system. To get to this point, a government's citizens must give up their rights and give all power to the government. In Little Brother the DHS tries to cause this voluntary transfer by using deception. Doctorow writes, "'Lady,' I said,' you're talking about attacking my home, but as far as I can tell, you're the only one who has attacked me lately. I thought I lived in a country with a constitution. I thought I lived in a country where I had rights. You're talking about defending my freedom by tearing up the bill of rights.'" (Doctorow, page 55)This excerpt shows that sometimes a government will try to trick its citizens into giving it more power by claiming it will keep them safe. One such takeover has already been accomplished in modern day society. In 1967 Egypt's government declared that the country was in a state of emergency, which extended its police powers and other control. This has been the case for 44 years, the government constantly rationalizing its actions by claiming that organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood may come into power. By convincing its citizens that they were in danger the Egyptian government managed to create a modern day monarchy. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rules with emergency power Though resistance by the people caused eventually caused the dictator to step down, it is shocking to think that a democracy could be so easily transformed into a tyranny. In order to prevent this from happening again, citizens must keep the power of their government limited and retain rights for themselves.
In 1984 and Little Brother, the idea is stated that modern society could readily be changed to dystopian dictatorship because of government control over individuals and the use of emotions to enslave citizens; thus, the people must continue to value their freedoms or else they could be permanently abolished. Modern democracy is already showing signs of sickness: ridiculous amounts of security, emotional manipulation by governments, and complete dictatorial takeovers by elected leaders. It has been said that democracy is only one generation from extinction. Don't be the one who lets it go extinct!
Works Cited
Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2008. Print.
"Great Britain Overturns Unpopular Security Restrictions | Corpus Christi, TX | KRISTV.com." Corpus Christi, TX | KRISTV.com | HOME. 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://www.kristv.com/news/great-britain-overturns-unpopular-security-restrictions/>.
"Hosni Mubarak." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosni_Mubarak>.
Orwell, George. 1984. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. Print.
YouTube - Emotional Manipulation - Our Abusive Relationship with Media & Govn't. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2i_UEeDXEA>.